Measuring the Significance of Diversification Gains

This article investigates whether investing in alternative investment media provides statistically significant increases in portfolio performance. Employing methodology introduced by Kandel and Stambaugh (1987) and Gibbons, Ross and Shanken (1989), we measure the statistical significance of diversification gains for portfolios containing real and financial domestic assets, as well as international debt and equity issues. The NCREIF real estate series is further examined using the Geltner (1993) adjustment to the risk measure. In the 1978B93 sample period, neither international assets nor unadjusted real estate ever result in statistically significant increases in portfolio performance. When the Geltner adjustment is made, the allocation to real estate is substantially reduced in the expanded portfolio and also fails to result in a statistically significant increase in portfolio performance. These results may help to resolve the paradox between current portfolio allocations to real estate in practice and those suggested in the literature.

Macroinvertebrates inhabiting the tank leaf terrestrial and epiphyte bromeliads at Reserva Adolpho Ducke, Manaus, Amazonas

The aim of this work was to investigate the diversity of macroinvertebrates and also verify if the abundance and diversity of Diptera were influenced by the abiotic factors. The samples were collected from the epiphytic and terrestrial bromeliads G. brasiliensis (1 and 3m) in wet and dry seasons at Reserva Adolpho Ducke analyzed total of 144 samples were analyzed from a total of 15,238 individuals collected. These conatined 14,097 insects and, among these, 8,258 were immature Diptera, represented by eight most abundant families: Chironomidae, Ceratopogonidae and Culicidae. The relationship of Diptera diversity was influenced by the seasons and stratifications (p= 0.01); the abundance was influenced by the volume of water (p= 0.02) and the relationship between the season and volume of water in the terrestrial bromeliads was significant (p= 0.01). This study represented the first contribution to knowledge of community of macroinvertebrates associated to bromeliads G. brasiliensis in Central Amazon

Aggressive dominance can decrease behavioral complexity on subordinates through synchronization of locomotor activities

Social environments are known to influence behavior. Moreover, within small social groups, dominant/subordinate relationships frequently emerge. Dominants can display aggressive behaviors towards subordinates and sustain priority access to resources. Herein, Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) were used, given that they establish hierarchies through frequent aggressive interactions. We apply a combination of different mathematical tools to provide a precise quantification of the effect of social environments and the consequence of dominance at an individual level on the temporal dynamics of behavior. Main results show that subordinates performed locomotion dynamics with stronger long-range positive correlations in comparison to birds that receive few or no aggressions from conspecifics (more random dynamics). Dominant birds and their subordinates also showed a high level of synchronization in the locomotor pattern, likely emerging from the lack of environmental opportunities to engage in independent behavior. Findings suggest that dominance can potentially modulate behavioral dynamics through synchronization of locomotor activities.publishedVersionAlcala, Rocio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Caliva, Jorge Martín. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Caliva, Jorge Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.Flesia, Ana Georgina. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía, Física y Computación; Argentina.Flesia, Ana Georgina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigación y Estudios de Matemática; Argentina.Marin, Raúl Hector. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Marin, Raúl Hector. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina.Kembro, Jackelyn Melissa. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Kembro, Jackelyn Melissa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas; Argentina

The true nymph of Gomphus (Gomphurus) crassus Hagen (Odonata: Gomphidae), with notes on adults

Volume: 86Start Page: 223End Page: 22

The larva of Neopetalia punctata and establishment of Austropetaliidae fam. nov. (Odonata)

Volume: 96Start Page: 147End Page: 15

Culicideofauna (Diptera) encontrada em entrenós de taquara de uma mata residual na área urbana de Londrina, Paraná, Brasil Fauna of Culicidae (Diptera) found in the internodes of the bamboo in a residual forest in the urban area of Londrina - Paraná, Brazil

<abstract language="eng">A fragment of a forest, located in the urban area of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil, was chosen to represent the area for this study. Many Merostachys Spreng, 1824 bamboo, which were naturally perforated and, therefore, ready to retain water, were found in the interior of this forest. Bamboo were collected every fifteen days during field actions. They were then measured and cut meter by meter before their contents were analyzed in the laboratory. A total of 542 specimens from the following species were collected during one year: Sabethes aurescens (Lutz, 1905), Sabethes melanomymphe Dyar, 1924, Sabethes identicus Dyar & Knab, 1907, Wyeomyia rooti (Del Ponte, 1939), Wyeomyia limai Lane & Cerqueira, 1942, Wyeomyia sp., Trichoprosopon pallidiventer (Lutz, 1905), Trichoprosopon humboldti Lane & Cerqueira, 1942, Toxorhynchites sp. e Shannoniana schedocyclium (Dyar & Knab, 1908). Wyeomyia limai and Sabethes aurescens were the most frequently found species. The first specie had the highest population index in february whereas the Sabethes aurescens, had its highest index in july, february and november. The largest number of larvae were obtained in the months of february and march. As for stratification, the greatest quantity of larvae was found at two meters. The specie Wyeomyia limai predominated in all heights, being most abundant at three meters high whereas the Sabethes was most abundant at one meter high. The presence of bamboo in small forest spots in urban areas is enough to host a certain variety of Culicidae of the Sabethini tribe which are considered wild mosquito. These same mosquito, due to their hematophagus habitat, can be hazardous to public health